These Special Times With You
by maryeemeeh
Summary: With everyone else gone for the holidays, Z finds herself alone and no one to spend Christmas with. But when Sky finds out, he decides to do something about it and prevent it from happening. OneShot fic. SkyZ


**A/N:** Story takes place right after the finale. Sky/Z one-shot Christmas fic.

I want to wish you all a very _Merry Christmas _and a _Happy New Year! _Don't forget to review! Thanks.

* * *

"**These Special Times with You" **

It is that time of the year again as Z waves goodbye to Jack from the entrance of SPD Headquarters after escorting him outside. Jack made a visit to wish Sky, Bridge, Z, Syd, Commander Cruger, Kat Manx, Boom, and everyone associated with SPD a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. This will be the first time Z and Jack are separated during the holidays. Before they joined SPD, the two would spend Christmas in the streets with others of their kind every year…giving presents and food to the poor. They would gather around the fire with a small, poorly decorated Christmas tree and sing along a few Christmas carols. The thought made Z smile as she watches Jack drive off with Ally. This year is different for they learned that Jack will be spending the holidays with Ally and her family. It appears that their relationship has gotten serious over a period of time and everyone felt happy for him. It's about time Jack has found someone.

As for the others in SPD, Bridge and Syd have left the academy moments ago to spend time with their families back home for the Holidays, leaving Sky and Z the only B-Squad members left in the academy. Sky plans to leave that same afternoon as well for he has family to go to whom he hasn't seen for years now as he busied himself in the room to pack his belongings.

Meanwhile, Z walked back inside the academy and folded her arms across her chest as the cool wind crept inside of her once the door closes behind. It is a chilly afternoon as she walks through the decorated hallway full of multi colored lights and pictures representing the Christmas Holidays. She studies them carefully, smiling at the beautiful decorations that bring in the spirit of Christmas. Christmas happens to be Z's favorite time of the year for she is able to give people something, and seeing them smile tells her that she has done her job. Z could not ask for more other than the perfect gift of seeing them smile.

As she continued to walk down the hallway and enjoy the decorations that brighten ups each corner of the academy, Z passes by Sky's room, not aware of his existence as he calls out her name. Sky calls the second time in a louder voice as she stops and turns around to meet his gaze.

"I'm sorry." Z shook her head and chuckles, slowing walking towards him. "I was looking at the decorations."

Sky nods as he examines the lights and pictures. "Yeah…D-Squad did a great job huh?"

"They sure did." She smiles at him and noticed a few of his luggage and bags placed below him. "Ready to go I see."

"Yeah, I just need find a way to fit some of the presents in there." He looks back at his female companion. "What about you?"

She furrowed her eyebrows and chuckles. "What about me?"

"Aren't you visiting family?"

Z averts from his gaze and sighs. "What family?" She says softly with her eyes lowered to the ground.

Sky looks down shamefully, unsure of what to say but apologize for bringing it up. He forgot that Jack and Z were brought up in the streets and didn't have much of a family. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have—"

"Don't worry about it." She looks at him with a weak smile.

He slightly nods his head, feeling rather regretful. "So you're just staying here?"

"Well, where else am I going?"

Sky looks at her carefully when all of a sudden his eyes widen with an idea in mind. Z wrinkles her forehead due to his strange expression. "What?"

"You should come with me."

She lifted an eyebrow. "Say what, Sky?"

He looks at her seriously. "Come with me to visit my family."

"You're kidding right?" Z chuckles as though he was only messing around. But when she finds that he wasn't laughing and is being serious…she stares at him in bewilderment. "Are you serious about this?"

"Yeah! I mean why not? It's perfect; I have an extra train ticket. It was supposed to be for Bridge, but he had other plans…and since you're not doing anything…I thought it would be a good idea if you went back home with me."

Z bit her lip reluctantly at the idea. But most of all, she was taken by surprise with Sky's generous offer for no one would do anything this drastic for her in the Holidays, nor did she ever expect Sky out of everyone else in the world to do this for her. "What do you say huh?" Sky waits for an answer as she scratches her head at the thought with an uneasy gesture.

"I don't know." She slightly hesitates, stammering nervously in response. "It just seems weird. Your family is expecting Bridge not me."

"My family is very welcoming." He reassures her with a smile. "They like to meet every cadet I work with in SPD…so trust me on this, they'll like you."

She bit her bottom lip. "Why?" Z looks up at him, brushing her hair back so her eyes could meet his. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because you're my friend, Z and I don't want you to be alone, especially during this time of the year."

For the first time, Z was witnessing a different side of Sky. At that very moment he wasn't his usual self-centered, arrogant, and pigheaded self although he has changed over the past year as the red ranger but appears rather sweet, friendly, and the most generous guy in the world.

She slightly smiles, "I don't know, Sky. I feel like the only reason why you're inviting me is because you feel bad for me…and I don't want you to force yourself into anything because of that."

"Z, don't even go there." Sky smirks, followed by a small chuckle. "Just pack your things and don't say another word."

She raises an eyebrow as he watches him set off back to work. 'I can't believe he's serious' she thought. Without saying another word, Z turns around and smiles on her way to the room to pack for knowing Sky, she wouldn't get her way out of this one.

* * *

The train ride took about an hour and a half as they have an hour left to go before they reached the town where Sky's family settled. It's been a quiet ride so far as Sky and Z remain silent, sitting right next to each other. Sky occupied himself, burying his face inside the SPD handbook as Z watches on in bewilderment. Sky has been in the academy for three years now and it surprises her to see that he would still be reading it. As for her, it's only been a year and she knows the whole book by heart.

Instead of creating a fuss over it, Z let him be as she turned her gaze away from him and looked out at the foggy window, slowly drifting to sleep as the sun begins to set over the horizon. Sky continued reading till he felt the light weight on his shoulder. He takes his eyes off from the book for the first time in half an hour and noticed Z resting her head on his shoulder with her eyes securely shut. A smile crept on Sky's face as he watches her sleep peacefully still. While being so close, he could feel her body shiver as he slowly takes out his blue jacket and places it around Z to keep her warm. Feeling tired himself, Sky releases a yawn as he places the handbook down, put his head back, and falls asleep.

An hour has gone by as the train makes its full stop at the station. Sky and Z slowly open their eyes at the same time as they watch passengers rise up from their seats and begin leaving the train. They finally got up as they recollect their bags and luggage from the compartments above them.

"Let me get that for you."

Z takes her black and yellow bags away from his grasp. Knowing that he was being a gentleman, she didn't need him to do everything for her. "No. I got it, Sky. Thanks."

He nods as he follows her towards one of the exits. They stepped down from the train and noticed that it has already gotten dark. Z looks on in amazement for the city was filled with decorated lights and a huge Christmas tree on the middle of a park. There were carolers singing nearby and people ice skating in the rink. It was such a lovely sight as the two begin walking down the sidewalk, observing the spectacular view as it captivated them.

"It so gorgeous out here," A faint whisper escape from Z's lips as she could see her breath fill the cool air. Her eyes expressed amazement and utter bliss. It was as though she was entering a world new to her and for the very first time. Sky looks at her and smiles

"Listen, it's getting late and I booked a reservation at the hotel for us in case darkness falls. We will head over to my mom's in the morning. Does that sound alright to you?"

She shifts her gaze over to him and nodded. "Yeah, but can we hang out here for awhile?" Z pleads with excitement as the urging in her voice ring through his ears. "It's Christmas Eve, and why not spend it here? It's so beautiful."

Sky looks at her as a smile crossed his face. It just felt good to him to see her smile so genuinely and pure. "Yeah…if that's what you want." He responds kindly.

"Unless you don't want to--"

"No, don't be silly." Sky let's out a small chuckle. "Go ahead while I check in at the hotel. Wait here as I bring the bags over."

"Okay." Z smiles wide, "I'll wait for you by the Christmas tree."

"Alright, it will only take a few minutes."

As soon as Sky went inside the hotel, checked in, and left their belongings to one of the men that worked there, he met up with Z near the Christmas tree. Upon his approach towards the bench where she was sitting, Z looks over her shoulder with a grin on her face. Sky furrowed his eyebrows as she handed him a pair of black skates. "What's this?"

"Ice skates," she responds enthusiastically, "I rented them out so we could go ice skating at the rink."

Sky's mouth slightly fell open as he scratches the back of neck uneasily. "Uhh, Z…I don't skate at all."

"So?"

"So…you don't expect me to make a fool of myself out there do you?"

Z chuckles, "Relax. I'll teach you. Now put them on and I'll meet you out there."

Sky half-heartedly begins putting the skates on as he watches Z run happily towards the rink and waving to the children nearby. He smiles, feeling rather amazed by Z's free spirit and pure innocence. Usually within the academy, Z at times could be a bit stubborn and hard on Sky…but today, she was a whole different person. He is aware of her fondness and kind heart towards children, but is experiencing for the first time Z's fun wild side. It's not so often when the cadets get to go out and have a good time for a change without being interrupted.

As soon as Sky got his skates on, he walks awkwardly and uncomfortably towards the rink as he tries to maintain his balance without falling. He succeeded a few steps once he stood next to Z. She looks at him and smiles, "You ready?"

His expression was filled with worry and reluctance. "After you," he responds weakly as she steps into the rink and waits for him to enter.

"Come on now."

"Wait, it's my first time doing this." Sky retorts out of annoyance.

"You only need to take one step inside and it's taking you forever."

He just rolled his eyes as he held onto the bar and slowly puts one foot unsteadily on the ice and then the other.

"It's called skating, not standing." Z blurts out impatiently in a joking matter as Sky shot her a dirty look. She bit her lip and mischievously smirks. "Just take it easy…one step at a time."

"Oh, nice advice when just a second ago you're telling me to speed up." He responds in a mocking tone.

Z ignores the comment as she watches Sky carefully take small steps towards her direction. When he missed a step and lost his balance, Sky began losing his ground as Z reaches out to guide him. "Here, I got you." She grabbed a hold of his arm as he stops and slowly looks up at her.

"If I can't even take a few steps…then there's no way I can skate around the snowman and his reindeer friends."

Z chuckles, "Look I'm sorry I was being a little impatient back there."

"A Little?"

She groans, "Don't push it." Sky looks down and smiles. "Anyway…you'll eventually get the hang of it. It's your first time stepping on ice…so of course you're going to fall and get bruised up for awhile."

"Thanks for the warning." He says in a rather sarcastic tone.

"Come on." Z reaches over for his cold hand as their fingers intertwined. Sky looks down at their held hands together, feeling the warmth from her gentle touch. Z begins to skate gracefully besides him as he held onto her hand and follow her every move. "That's it." She watches Sky slowly getting the hang of it as he begins to slowly skate along with her. "There you go. Good!" Z could feel his hold tighten around her hand. She looks down as she gives it a little squeeze. "I got you."

"Wow…" Sky finally put the effort in smiling as he quickened his pace. "I hate to say it, but this is actually fun."

"I can't believe you've never skated before. But then again…you don't seem like the outdoor type."

"Hey." He shot back offensively. "I do plenty of stuff outside of SPD."

"Yeah?" Z smirks. "Like what? Tell me."

"I bowl."

"That's it?" She scoffs as though she wasn't at all impressed and expected more from Sky.

He frowns due to her wretched expression. "Hey, I can party too yah know. I just never have the time." He explains, hoping that she would understand and believe him.

"Well…if we do this again I can teach you a lot of stuff. With me around, you'll have a blast."

"Good thing I brought you here with me then huh?"

She chuckles, "Oh yeah."

* * *

After a few hours at the park, ice skating, looking around at shops nearby, examining the huge Christmas tree, and listening to carolers…Sky and Z finally call it a day as they head over to the hotel to rest for the following morning. It's been quite a day for Sky and Z have never hung out or spoken to each other for quite a long time now and through their experience, they learned a few things from each other.

As they make their way inside the foyer of the hotel…Sky and Z got to an elevator to the sixth floor and stepped outside. There was silence between them while they walk side by side until they've reached room 240. Sky grabbed the card key from his pocket and inserts it into the hole. Once the green light appeared, he twisted the knob and opens the door. Sky walks into the room first as he switches the light open. Z follows behind and examines the room carefully. The walls were painted with a rather tan and creamy color that lighted the room. There were several portraits of the city placed on opposite's sides, a wide television with a video and DVD player on top and a playstation next to it. Overall the room was lovely and quite attractive, but what caught Z's eyes is the one queen size bed that stood before them.

"There has to be a mistake." Sky furrowed his eyes as he walks further into the room. "I asked for two full size beds…not one queen size."

"But all our bags are here."

He rubs his eyes out of frustration followed by a deep and fatigue yawn. "I'm gonna go back down the lobby and tell them there's been a mistake."

Before he could even reach the other side of the room towards the door, Z stopped him and grabbed his shoulder. "Sky, don't worry about it." She reassures him. "You're tired…our bags are here…might as well not stress on it. It's really no big deal. I can sleep on the floor."

He scoffs. "No way, you get the bed. I'll just stay on the floor."

"I'm not gonna let you sleep on the floor." Z argues back as she folds her arms across her chest to show that she was being serious.

Sky scratches the back of his head. "Well, what now? I won't sleep on the floor and you won't let me sleep on the floor."

"Look, we're young mature adults. Let's just share the bed." She suggested as Sky raises an eyebrow. Z narrows her eyes at him as soon as she gave him the look. "What? Why you looking at me like that?"

He shrugs his shoulders and smirks. "Nothing. It's just that it's way against SPD regulations."

"Sky!" She scoffs, staring ridiculously at him. "Lighten up; we're not in SPD right now."

"What? You're the one that needs to lighten up." He smirks. "I'm completely fine with it. Don't trip."

Z glares evilly at him. "Here's the deal, you stay on one side of the bed and I stay on the other."

"Got it," Sky nods in response.

"And don't think about doing anything that you'll regret." Z warns him as he raises his hands up defensively due to her aggravated behavior, which he found amusing.

"No problem."

* * *

The sunlight arose from the distant horizon, bringing light to the room as it sinks through the curtains. Z slowly flutters her eyes and struggles to open them due to the bright light that awakened her. Once she got used to the light, it became easier for her as she stood still on her side, drifting into another world. Her thoughts were then interrupted by the bathroom door opening and the shuffling of the feet as she looks over her shoulder and finds Sky's bare back facing her as he puts on his shirt. Z raises her eyebrows at his nice, muscular, perfectly tan back as she shook her head lays comfortably on her back. Sky puts on a light blue button up dress shirt as he turns around and smiles at Z.

"Morning," he greeted her, "And Merry Christmas."

She rubs her eyes and yawns, "Merry Christmas to you too." She sits up on the bed while stretching her arms. "Did you sleep well?"

"Not really. You were snoring."

Z's mouth fell open. "I was!" She exclaims in mere disbelief. "But I don't snore."

"Relax," Sky chuckles playfully. "I was just kidding. I slept pretty well last night." She sighs in relief, "And yourself?"

"Pretty good actually," she responds with a weak smile, slightly flushed in embarrassment. "I haven't slept this good for awhile now."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. It's hard to get a good night sleep at the academy." Z nods her head in agreement. "Anyway, I'm gonna go downstairs to get something to eat. You should take a shower…and get dressed. My mother is expecting us pretty soon."

"Okay."

Sky smiles as he turns around and leaves the room.

After about half an hour, Sky arrived back inside with their breakfast in hand. He walks inside the room and finds Z fully dressed. She was wearing a yellow sweater that went off her shoulders, along with dark blue jeans and a black scarf that went around her neck. Z's hair was down and bangs nicely parted at the side. Sky was amazed by how great she looked as he dropped the white bag on the ground.

"Oh, I'm sorry." He shook his head and picks it up from the floor. "Anyway, I bought donuts. And uh…" Sky trails off nervously. "You look really nice."

She smiles in pleased embarrassment, "Well thank you. So do you."

The two both sit down on the bed to enjoy their breakfast before leaving that morning. Sky handed her the coffee from the drink holder as they munch on the delicious donuts. "So how are you feeling?" Z asks to break the silence.

Sky grunts painfully. "I'm a bit sore."

"I figured you'd be." Z replies with a smirk.

"Other than that, I'm excited to see my family." He looks at her. "What about you? How are you feeling?"

She sighs, "Honestly. I feel really nervous."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I guess it's because they're your family, and they're not expecting me…so it's a bit uncomfortable." She says worriedly.

"Z, they'll love you." He engages her with his eyes in an attempt to convince that he is being true. "My family is pretty cool."

"I'm sure they are, but…" she trails off followed by a sigh, "but knowing you…"

"Okay, I get it." He interrupts her. "You think they'll be uptight and serious just like me, am I right?"

She bit her lip and forced a weak smile, "Right. I'm sorry, Sky. It's just one of those feelings I get."

"It's okay. But be surprised, Delgado." He smirks as he made eye contact with Z. "They're not what you think they are."

Z looks at him warmly. She suddenly feels comfortable and looking forward to seeing his family given the reassurance from Sky, which is all she needs at the very moment.

"You ready to go?" He asks as soon as they finished the last of the donuts and coffee.

"Yeah! You got the presents?"

"They're all in the cab that's waiting for us."

"We should go then." Z rises up from the bed as Sky follows her out the door.

* * *

It was a short ride from the hotel to Sky's home as they arrived in front of a two story house, nicely decorated with flowers near the white gate that surrounded the front yard. The house was quite big with a two door garages and a lovely fountain up front on the grassy area. Z studies the house with awe as they step out from the taxi cab, carrying handfuls of gifts.

"Wow, I didn't know you were this rich."

Sky chuckles, "We're not. Most of the money came from my Dad when he died. The family is only trying to maintain the house."

"You guys must be a big family."

"Well I have two brothers and a sister. Aunts, Uncles, and cousins are coming over I believe."

"Yeah, I could see that." Z acknowledges the driveway which was filled with vehicles parked in front of the house.

"Come on, we don't want to keep them waiting." Sky leads the way as he places his arm around her shoulder for comfort. He could tell that Z was getting pretty nervous as they ascended the steps towards the front door. Sky lets go as he stepped in front of Z and presses the doorbell. She stood behind him with her arms crossed, drawing in a few nervous breaths.

After a few times ringing and knocking, the door suddenly pops open as a woman stood behind the door. She has light brown hair, nice height just about 5'7", perfectly shaped slender and a young looking face. As soon as her gaze meets Sky's, she had on a bright and warm smile. Her face suddenly brightens up at the sight of him. Without wasting any time, the woman shrieked excitedly as she wraps her arms around his neck. "Oh my Goodness! Welcome home, son!" She squeezed him tightly and shortly after broke apart from the hug. She looks at him contently without breaking her smile. "It's so great to see you, Sky!"

He smiles. "You too, Mom." The woman's eyes shifts over to the mysterious woman behind him. "Oh, I want you to meet someone." Sky grabs Z's arm forward as she awkwardly stood next to him. "Mom, this is Z. Z, meet my lovely mother, Mrs. Tate."

The two women smile as they exchange handshakes. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Tate."

She smiles warmly in return. "You too. My, my, you're a pretty one." Sky's mother notices Z's beauty as she continues to study her carefully. "Are you two dating?" Sky and Z looked at each other weirdly and burst out in hysteric laughter. Mrs. Tate furrowed her eyebrows out of bewilderment. "What? Was it something I said?"

Their laughter slowly subsided. "Mom, we're not dating. Z is actually my teammate. She's SPD, member of B-Squad. She doesn't have any plans so I invited her along with me. I hope you don't mind."

Mrs. Tate looks at her and smiles. "Of course, I don't mind. Welcome, Z. Any friends of Sky…is a special guest in my house."

"Thanks, Mrs. Tate."

"Come inside, it's quite chilly out." Mrs. Tate invites the both of them inside the family room which is the first room in the house as they enter.

"Where's everyone else?" Sky asks curiously, noticing the house was quite empty and silent.

"Upstairs." Mrs. Tate responds as she leads them towards the kitchen. Momentarily, two little boys came creeping down the stair steps and unexpectedly surprises Sky as they both jumped up on his back and fell to the floor with him. Z turns around and gasps as a roar of laughter filled the room. Z and Mrs. Tate stood back and watch on in amusement.

"You little rascals," Sky began tickling the boys and lifting them up from off the ground. "You guys think you can be sneaky eh?" He began tickling the boys and lifting them up from off the ground as others came running down the stairs to greet him.

His glance follows the older people walking down the stairs as the little boys' laughter slowly subsided. "Well, well…if it isn't my younger brother Nick."

He smiles. "How's it going, bro?" The two exchange a one-arm hug and did their little handshake, which Z found quite adorable because it was something she couldn't imagine Sky doing. Nick is only a year younger than Sky himself. He is quite tall as he is with a much younger face but similar features. Sky's older brother, Will was the next to greet him followed by his youngest sister, Dawn, who is the youngest of them all. As they exchange words, Nick shifts his gaze over to Z as his eyes widens at the sight of her appearance. "Whoa…who is she?" He smirks as all eyes turn to her.

"Ooooo, is she your girlfriend?" One of the little boys teased as everyone in the room all waited for Sky's response.

He lightly chuckles. "No, she's a friend of mine. We're teammates at the academy.

Will nods his head. "Nice, so where you from…?" He turns to Sky's mysterious guest as she quickly looks up.

"Oh! Call me Z." She introduces herself nervously. "I'm from New Tech City."

"You sure you two are not dating?" Dawn questions suspiciously. "Sky has a way of hiding a lot of things yah know."

He nudges his sister's shoulders. "Uh, don't listen to her." Sky whispers to his female companion.

She chuckles. "No, we're not dating." Z reassures them. "We're just friends."

"In that case," Nick makes his way over to Z as he places his arm around her, "there's still hope for us."

Z raises her eyebrows uncomfortably as she removes his arm away from her. "I don't think so."

Mrs. Tate, Will, Dawn, Sky, and the little boys all laughed at him.

"Okay that's enough." Mrs. Tate turns to Dawn and Z. "You girls help me wrap some things up in the kitchen. And boys, stay out of trouble."

"Yes, Aunt Sarah." The little boys stated in unison. As soon as the girls followed her to the kitchen and Will, Sky, and Nick went outside to help out with the barbecue, one of the little boys whispered into the other's ear. "Hey," he whispers with a mischievous smirk, "I have a plan."

* * *

Dinner was served and it turned out to be a lovely feast. There was turkey, chicken, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, spaghetti, salad, ham, and roast beef served at the table. The family along with Z held a good conversation as each and every one of them begins to love Z's presence. She filled the table with lots of laughs and interesting stories about her and Jack as well as encounters they experience in SPD. Sky was after all right about his family for Z learned for herself that they were loving and accepting people. Z felt even more grateful to be welcomed into their household for they made her stay very comfortable.

Once dinner was over, Mrs. Tate along with her sisters begin clearing the table and washing the dishes as the others rushed to the living room to gather around the Christmas tree and start opening up the presents. The two little boys dragged Sky to the livingroom as they begin opening up the presents from him first.

"Hopefully he got us some play guns. Maybe even swords!" One exclaims excitedly as he rips out the gift wrapper.

"No way, I'm thinking water guns!" The other says.

Sky, Will, Nick, and Dawn all gathered in the living room as they watch the little boys go at it with the presents. Z stood against the wall, watching on intently.

"Wow!" They shrieked in unison as they took out the box. "Even better! An SPD toy megazord!"

Sky shifts his gaze over to Z and winks at her.

"Thanks cousin, Sky!"

The two boys gave him a hug as a smile crossed Sky's face. "You're welcome, boys." He slightly chuckled as they both give him a kiss on the cheek.

"Now, we have a present for you."

Sky furrowed his eyebrows curiously. "Oh really?" Will, Nick, Dawn and the two boys exchange smiles.

"Come on." They both took his hands and dragged him across the floor towards Z's direction. Z wrinkles her forehead as they placed him in front of her. The two cadets stared at each other weirdly as everyone in the room surrounded them, including Mrs. Tate.

"Uh…okay?" Sky chuckles uneasily. "What is this all about?"

"It's actually both of your presents." Clarified one of the boys as Sky and Z looked at them uncomprehendingly.

"Now look up!"

Sky and Z exchange worried looks as they slowly lift their heads up where they found mistletoe hanging above them. Z's mouth fell open in surprise as Sky turns to his little cousins with a glare.

They laughed. "You two gotta kiss now!"

Z shook her head and looks away in amusement. "I can't believe this."

"Neither can I," Sky's gaze was fixed on his cousins, brothers, and sisters. He turns back to Z with concern all over his face. "I did not plan this."

"No, but we did." The little boys admitted as Sky stares at them suspiciously.

"How can you two possibly put the mistletoe up there?" He asks.

"Will helped us!"

Sky shot his older brother a dirty look. "What?" Will raises his hands up defensively. "They were giving me the _look_, I couldn't help it. And you know what happens with the _look_."

Dawn folded her arms across her chest and scoffs. "Stop lagging and kiss already!"

"Were you in this too?" Sky questions his younger sister in a rather irritated tone.

She averts from his gaze and bit her lip innocently. "Well…I knew their plan."

"Unbelievable."

"Hey, Nick and mom knew too." Dawn retorts as Sky looks over his shoulder at Mrs. Tate in disbelief, waiting for an explanation from her.

She groans and shrugs her shoulders. "I can't help it, son. They begged me not to tell."

"And you call this staying out of trouble?"

Dawn smirks. "But, Sky…you have to admit, they were pretty sneaky."

He narrows his eyes at her. "Do I have to?" He whines at the thought of kissing her in front of his own family, which is rather an uncomfortable and awkward situation for him.

"It's a Christmas tradition, Sky." Nick tells him with a wide grin for none of them were going to allow Sky to get out of this one. "When you're under mistletoe you have to kiss the person standing below it as well."

Sky drew in a few nervous gulps as he follows Z's glance. "I'm sorry." He whispers. "You must really hate me right now."

"No, not at all." She reassures him with a smile. "Your family is great. Look, a kiss is just a kiss right? Let's just do it and get it over with."

"You sure?"

"Tradition is tradition." Z smiles as she cups his face with her hand and gently moves him closer to her face. Sky's heart begins to beat rapidly as they both closed their eyes and allow their lips to touch. They slowly parted and both smiled at each other under the mistletoe. "Hope you enjoyed that," Z smirks playfully as she seductively whispers in his ear, "because that will be the last of it."

_'But that was short,'_ Sky thought as he looks at her and frowns._ 'But I guess a kiss...is just a kiss.'_

_THE END_


End file.
